NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

A woman has found a shampoo sachet thought to date back more than 40 years washed up on a British beach.

The remarkable item was discovered in remarkably good condition near Brighton – raising further environmental concerns about the scale of plastic pollution and the dangers it poses to eco-systems.

Sammie Aplin was walking along Hove beach when she found the sachet, which is priced at 4.5p. Half were taken out of circulation in 1984.

The 29-year-old picked up the ‘supersoft liquid shampoo’ on one of her regular beach cleans on Tuesday.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, the Hove nurse explained: ‘I couldn’t believe it as my Mum had found plastic with half penny pricing last week too.

‘It’s still in fairly good nick and you just wonder how much more is out there.

‘Where is it all going? So much ends up in the environment with potential to damage.’

She added: ‘I feel we are drowning in plastic.

‘I think big supermarket chains need to step up and more initiatives (such as the carrier bag charge) should come into place.

‘We can’t carry on at the rate we are.’

The find comes after a yoghurt pot from the 1976 Montreal Olympics washed up on a beach on the Costa Blanca last year.

Sammie, who found the sachet near the high tide line, explained that the manufacturer’s address appears to be 162 New Bond Street, a location currently occupied by Dior, which did not respond to Metro.co.uk’s request for comment.

Schwarzkopf, which has owned the Supersoft brand for around 40 years, was unable to confirm whether the sachet was part of their product portfolio or not.

The find will add to fears about plastics in the environment and microplastics, which are created when larger pieces of plastic degrade into ever smaller fragments.

Microplastics easily pass through water filtration systems and into the world’s oceans, where they pose a threat to marine life, with recent research suggesting they could also damage human health, particularly if breathed in.

Countless tens of millions of tonnes of plastics are already in the world’s oceans and responsible for the deaths of around a million birds and 100,000 sea mammals every year.

Sammie believes this sachet is likely to significantly pre-date the 1984 phase out of half pennies.

On her latest walk, she also found a toy doll’s arm and a fishing lure alongside various other plastic items, which she collects.

Sammie, who beach cleans most days on her walk to work, explained: ‘I feel it is not only beneficial for the environment but also my mental health.

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‘You can find all sorts on the beach. I try and use some of the more interesting finds to create art, helping keep it out of landfill.’

One of her colourful pieces of work is framed against a white background and is a collection of just a handful of the things she has found.

She posts pictures of other items of interest on her Instagram feed ‘The Plastic Coast’.

Environmental groups have been contacted for comment.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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